


To Find Life

by SoCalGirl28



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Good Brock Rumlow, Multi, Phil Coulson & Melinda May are Skye's Parents, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-27
Updated: 2018-10-10
Packaged: 2018-11-05 11:44:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 13,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11012769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SoCalGirl28/pseuds/SoCalGirl28
Summary: Skye has been looking for her family her entire life. Melinda May and Phil Coulson have been searching for their daughter for twenty years. Can they find what they are looking for?





	1. Prologue

This is the story about how an orphan died, and found her family. Skye had grown up in an orphanage since she was nine months old; dumped on the doorstep like an unwanted puppy. Skye had always felt alone, unwanted, and unloved. She bounced from foster home to foster home, never staying in one place for more than a few months. The only thing that kept Skye grounded were her SoulMarks. She had two, one on her wrist that said "Don't trust Hunter, that's all I have to say, he's the worlds biggest douchebag." Her other Mark was on her hip. It said, "Love, Bobbi is a menace don't listen to her." Her Marks were the only confirmation that somebody, somewhere loved her. Skye taught herself how to hack when she was fifteen years old. By sixteen, she had gotten her license, bought a van, and left the orphanage forever. Skye travelled the country, hacking companies and exposing dirty secrets.

In May 2012, Skye found herself in New York City. She watched in horror as aliens poured out of a hole in the sky; she felt like the world was ending. Then out of nowhere came The Avengers. Superheroes, who rose out of the ashes of this tragedy and saved the entire world. They fought the Chitauri with all their might, Iron Man nearly giving his life to secure the safety of the world.

When the dust settled, NYC was in ruins. The Avengers did what they could to help New York recover. They did charity work, and helped rescue workers around the clock. The Avengers gained a giant fan base all over the world. People would cosplay outside of Stark Tower. Skye would admit to cosplaying the Black Widow once or twice herself.

Out of the shadows with The Avengers, came something else, SHIELD. In Skye's opinion, a shady government organization that wanted to control everything and everyone. New York wasn't her first run in with SHIELD. When she first learned how to hack, she hacked into the Child Protective Services database to find her file. She had hoped to find her parents. All she found was a single file, redacted by SHIELD. Skye wandered for awhile after that, not sure what to think. After The Battle of New York, she knew what to do. It was time to infiltrate SHIELD, and find out the truth.


	2. The Story Begins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long! Real life. 
> 
> Disclaimer: not mine

Skye traveled to Los Angeles after the Battle of Manhattan. She needed to get away from NYC. It had been her home, where she had grown up. Despite the troubles of her childhood, she loved the city. To see it so destroyed was breaking her heart, so she left New York, and headed for LA. 

When Skye got to LA, she decided to expose SHIELD's dirty secrets. And so, she joined The Rising Tide. An anarchist hacking organization, determined to find all the secrets the government was hiding from the public. They believed that the public had the right to known everything that the government did. She made a series of videos that she put on YouTube, showing how SHIELD had covered up New Mexico, and Project Pegasus. Skye never got caught, always making sure to cover her tracks. As she exposed their secrets, she was also searching for the secret of her life. Nothing. She found nothing. 

One day, Skye was walking to her favorite cafe. She enjoyed the pie, and most of all the free wifi. Suddenly, there was an explosion across the street. Skye rushed down the road with her phone out, and camera on, hoping to get some good footage. And boy, was she lucky. A man came flying out of the burning building, holding a woman in his arms. He hit the ground so hard, it left a crater. He had a hoodie on, and his face was obscured. 

"Hey!," Skye yelled. "Are you okay?" She rushed to the crater.

The hooded man put the woman on the ground and said, "It's okay. You'll be fine now.," as he ran off.

Skye stayed with the woman until the paramedics arrived, and then ran off to her van that was parked in the back alley behind the cafe. She checked her computer and saw that she had gotten audio from the building that blew up. She didn't understand what was being said but at least it was something. Skye uploaded her video, and tried to make out the hero's face. Using photoshop technology, she managed to get a good look at his face. She hacked into the CCTV and tracked him down. It looked like he was headed for the cafe. She locked up her van and headed to the front of the building.

Skye saw the man at the counter. She took a deep breath, gathered her courage, sidled up to him and said "Hey." The man looked at her and said "Hi." 

Skye said "So, you're the Hooded Hero." The man looked at her, Skye could see he was trying to hold his emotions in check. He said, "Lady, I don't know what you're talking about." 

Skye pulled the man into a booth and said "Yes, you do. You saved that lady. You're a hero." The man looked at her and said, "Who are you?" 

"I'm Skye," she said. "You?"

"Mike." He was short with her. "What do you want?"

Skye studied him. "I'm here to warn you. SHIELD."

Mike looked at her, confusion all over his face. "You think I should carry a shield?" He motioned with his arm like he was Captain America. 

Skye grew frustrated, "No! SHIELD! Big scary government guys who could silence you, make you disappear. I'm just trying to help." 

Mike seemed confused and angry to Skye. "I don't need your help. I don't need anyone's help. No one knows who I was. It'll be fine."

"I know who you are. I found you. If I can find you, they can too." Skye retorted. 

"I'll be fine. I've got to go." Said Mike.

"Okay. They'll be coming for you, Mike Peterson." Said Skye looking at the drivers license she pick-pocketed from him.

Skye payed the bill, and left the cafe heading towards her van. It was time to enact her infiltration plan. Skye took the footage she had of Mike, and spliced it with other footage of The Avengers. She put it on a livestream and started a voiceover, making sure not to hide her location.

"The secret is out, for decades you hid in the shadows. But now we know. The world is full of wonders, Heroes and Monsters. We can't explain everything we see, but our eyes are open now. Now we know. You can't hid the truth from us any longer. Something impossible just happened. What are you going to do about it?."

Skye paused and took a deep breath. Her computer indicated that SHIELD had taken the bait. She resumed talking. "How will you come at us? From the air? From the ground? How will you suppress the truth? How will you silence us this time? Can you? The truth is in the wind. You cannot stop The Rising Tide. You will not find us. You will never see our faces but rest assured, we will rise against those who keep us from the truth."

Suddenly the door of her van swung open. Standing there were two men in suits. Government thugs, if Skye was guessing correctly. She put a look of shock on her face and said "Hey, what up?" A bag was thrown over her face, and the world went black. 


	3. Once Was Lost, Is Found

*Time Skip*

Coulson looked at the girl in front of him. She looked so small and helpless. He had never felt so useless. When he found Skye on the floor of that cellar in Italy, he had frozen. All he could do was call for help. All of his first aid training had melted away in the face of death. Skye had become like a surrogate daughter to him. Sometimes he wondered if she, but no, better to not go down that road. He stood by the hyperbaric chamber and watched her chest move up and down. For the first time since he daughter had been taken, he prayed. Prayed for Skye's chest to keep moving, prayed for her heart to continue beating. 

He heard Simmons have a minor breakdown, and had seen Fitz go to comfort her. He couldn't blame the girl for it. They had become a little family, the people on this plane. Melinda, she had gone quiet again. But he could still feel her in their SoulBond. He hadn't felt her this angry since their daughter had been kidnapped. Ward was beating up the SUV. 

"Landing in two minutes." Came over the intercom.

He moved to strap into the seats near the ramp. He still felt like he was in shock. The others looked liked it. Did he look that bad? The medics met them on the ramp. Simmons running along side them, giving vitals. The doors to the trauma room slammed shut and there was silence. 

They gathered in the waiting room, all pacing around. Simmons tried to give statistics on Skye's chances, but it wasn't helping much. In Ward's case all it made him feel was agitated and he snapped at her, making her go silent. None of them knew what to do. Coulson kept trying to get Director Fury on the phone. He could fix this, he had saved Coulson's life, he could save Skye too. If only he would answer the damn phone. 

\----

At the same time on the other side of the world, an alarm went off in Stark Tower. Tony Stark, Iron Man and all around genius, dropped his soldering iron and ran to the computer, tripping over Dummy in the process.

"Move it, move it. You big lug, or I'll send you to the M.I.T. Museum." He yelled.

He got around the robot and pulled up the alarm on the computer screen. He couldn't believe his eyes. He checked it once, twice, three times. The computer was right. Holy shit. She was alive. His beautiful baby goddaughter was alive. Or he guessed adult goddaughter, it'd been 22 years since he'd last seen her. 

"Jarvis! Call Nat! Now!" he yelled.

"What?" Came the reply over the speakers in his workshop. "I'm kinda busy right now, this better be important."

He said the two words he knew would make her drop everything. "She's alive."

\----

Natasha Romanov, Black Widow, Master Spy, couldn't believe her ears. Did Tony just say what she thought he said? Was their long lost, and presumed dead goddaughter alive? How was that possible? What had? That didn't matter right now, she'd find her answers eventually. She knew how to be patient, unlike Tony. 

"Where is she?" Asked Natasha as she dodged Cooper and shook her head at Laura and Clint's questioning looks. 

"Some SHIELD medical facility in Switzerland. She was shot, and is in surgery. They ran her DNA and attached it to her file. They didn't know it would trigger an alert but it's a good thing they did it or we may never had found her. I can be there in 3 hours. " said Tony.

"No. You're too high profile. And people would wonder what you're doing at a SHIELD medical facility. I'll go." Natasha said forcefully. "I know where you're talking about." 

"You'll keep me updated?" Said Tony, lowering his voice. 

"Of course. She's your goddaughter too. Can you try to get ahold of Melinda?" Natasha said softly. 

"Yeah. I'll call her. Maybe I should take the suit and go down to D.C. and talk with her personally. After Phil's death, I don't think she'd want to be told this over the phone." Said Tony

"Ok, I'll call you as soon as I get there." Natasha said, hanging up the phone. 

She hung up the emergency cell phone, and turned to look at her SoulMates. "We've found her, I've got to-" Natasha started.

"Go. Go." Urged Laura, "Bring her home." 

Natasha smiled, kissed Laura, and then Clint. She hugged Cooper and Lila, kissing them both on the forehead. "You two be good for mommy and daddy, okay?" 

"Yes, mama." Said Cooper. 

She smiled, gave them one last hug, and walked out of the farmhouse towards the quinjet that had brought her home. It was time to bring another family member, long presumed gone forever, home.


	4. The Backstory

Flying the Quinjet towards Switzerland, Natasha thought back on how they had gotten to this point. It had been a long 22 years. She'd seen her best friends marriage fall apart in the wake of the kidnapping. She'd seen Tony go on more and more alcoholic benders, blaming himself. And herself. Natasha had been torn apart. When even she couldn't find her, running into dead ends, well she had closed herself off to emotions. Better to have never loved than to be hurt had become her mantra. But those precious few months with her goddaughter, she held those memories as close to her heart as Lila and Cooper. 

Daisy Mei Coulson was born on a rainy day in July. As Melinda's best friend, she had been in the delivery room. She was the third person to hold her. It had taken 4 hours for both Phil and Melinda to agree on a name. Phil had wanted her to be called May so she would have part of her mothers maiden name. Melinda had scoffed, and said that maybe they should name her after her mother. Finally Tony barged into the room, tired of waiting. They had already gotten complaints that he had made a vending machine sentient. He suggested Daisy, as Phil had given Melinda a bouquet of daisys on their first date. Natasha suggested Mei for her middle name, as it meant beautiful in Chinese and was pronounced like May. Thus the long debate was settled. 

Natasha was asked by Melinda to be godmother. She agreed of course, and had promised to always care and watch out for the precious bundle of joy. She had planned when Daisy was older to teach her self defense. And maybe a bit of ballet that Natasha secretly loved. 

Tony had been asked by Phil to be godfather. He happily agreed, practically bouncing up and down. Very few people knew Phil and Tony were best friends. Phil's father had been a SHIELD agent, and a good friend of Howard Stark. Thus Tony and Phil had grown up together. Phil was one of the few people Tony completely trusted. Tony had said at the time that Daisy was going to grow up knowing everything. 

It had all been ripped apart in one short night. All their hopes and dreams for a new generation, snuffed out by unknown hostiles. Melinda had been home alone with the baby while Phil was on a mission. She had just laid Daisy down for bed when there was a flash of blue light. Suddenly there were three people in the room. Melinda had tried to take them down, managing to knock one out, hoping to get to the crib where her baby lay sleeping. She had been shot, and passed out. When she came too EMTs were in her house and Daisy was gone. Melinda would have died that night, if it hadn't been for the fact JARVIS was installed in the house. He had alerted authorities.

\---

They never saw Daisy again. There was really nothing to track, and so no leads to follow. The list of enemies was long, though. Between the facts that Phil's father had been a SHIELD agent, and that Phil and Melinda were SHIELD agents, there were a lot of enemies looking for revenge. Add in Melinda's mother was CIA, and Natasha was, well, Natasha. There was a list a mile long of people looking to get back at any of them. It could have even been Tony's enemies if someone found out he had a goddaughter. There were too many people to track, but Natasha did what she could. 

Phil had never blamed Melinda for losing Daisy. Nobody needed to place blame, as she blamed herself. She considered her a failure as a mother. They had tried to reassure her but all she did was push them away. Finally, ten years after Daisy's disappearance, she said she couldn't live with the hope that Daisy was alive anymore. She needed to move on. She moved out of the house she lived in with Phil, the house where it had happened, leaving divorce papers on the kitchen counter. Phil had refused to sign them, saying Melinda was his SoulMate and he would never leave her side. And that had been that. 

Tony had thrown himself into his work. And when he didn't work he drank. He had promised to protect Daisy, and he had failed. He had tried to track her down, but could find nothing. In one last burst of hope, he had set up an alert system in every agency around the world that he could hack into. He attached Daisy's DNA, and prayed for a match one day, even proof of death, just for closure.

Natasha thanked whatever God that was listening, even Thor. Tony's last ditch effort had worked. He had found their goddaughter. It was just so sad that Phil would never know that they'd done it. As she landed the Quinjet on the roof of the SHIELD facility, she hoped that Phil was looking down on them, wherever he was.


	5. The Truth

Natasha walked down the hall of the Trama Zentrum, people dodging left and right in front of her. She would never admit this out loud, but she was nervous. She hadn't seen her goddaughter since she was a baby, and now she was injured. Natasha took a deep breath, and walked up to the nurses station.

"I need information on a patient recently brought in." Natasha said

The nurse looked up and blanched. "I'm sorry ma'am. I can only give out information on patients to family or team leaders." 

Natasha gave her a stare. The stare that said 'give me what I want or I'll show you why I'm feared.' 

"This girl is my goddaughter, therefore I am family. I believe she was brought in under the name of Skye." 

"Natasha?" Said the voice of someone who should be dead. 

"So Fury lied." Said Natasha blankly as she turned around. 

"Not exactly." Said Phil Coulson "I'll explain later. What are you doing here?"

Natasha grabbed him by the arm, and pulled him down the hall. She found an empty room and shoved him in there. She didn't know how to do this. Tell her oldest friend that his long lost daughter was here. She took another deep breath. 

"A girl was brought in here about four hours ago. They ran her DNA and attached it to her file. It set off one of the alerts Tony set up. The girl, she's Daisy, Phil." Natasha said gently.

Phil looked shell shocked, and Natasha couldn't blame him. They generally assumed Daisy was dead after all these years of finding nothing. Natasha touched his shoulder. "Phil?"

"Four hours ago? Is it? I mean the file, was it under the name Skye?" Phil said hurriedly.

"Yes. How did-"

"She's a member of my team." Phil said blankly. "Oh god. She's a member of my team. She's been on the Bus for three months." Phil fell to his knees. 

"I've got to tell Melinda!" He shouted, getting up. 

"Tony's already on his way to her apartment." Natasha said soothingly. 

"What? No, you don't understand! Melinda's on my team too!" Yelled Phil.

"Uh Oh. Tony's going to be upset. We should probably call him and let him know before he panics." Natasha couldn't help but smile. 

\---

"Melinda! Mels! MILLIE!" Tony screamed at the door, pounding his fist on it. 

"What the FUCK do you want Stark? May's not here." Said his darling cousin Sharon Carter as she opened the door.

"Shay? What the fuck? Where's Mel?" Said Tony, outraged. 

"She didn't tell you?" Said Sharon. "She decided to go back in the field. She's letting me use her apartment so I can keep an eye on grandma's ex-boyfriend." 

Tony stood in shock. Sharon Carter-Thompson had managed something very few had the privilege of doing. Rendering Tony Stark speechless. Melinda was back in field? Why? What could have brought-Phil! The only reason Tony could think that make Melinda May go back in the field for the first time in ten years was Phil Coulson. So the cyclops had lied. Sharon was smirking at him. 

"How the? What the? I don't even know what to say or think." Tony said. "I'm officially speechless." 

"Awesome! I can't wait to tell Antoine I was the one to shut you up! Thanks cuz." Sharon said, laughing.

Tony was interrupted from retorting when his cell phone rang. "So I take it you've found out Phil was alive, and Mel's back in the field then?" Said Natasha. He could hear her smirking over the phone.

"How did you? Never mind. Yeah. Have you found Daisy yet?" Tony said

"Yeah, so apparently she's been on Phil's mobile command team for 3 months. We're going to go find Melinda and then we'll see how Daisy's doing." Natasha explained.

"Keep me updated." Tony requested.

"Of course." 

He looked back at Sharon, who looked a little wide eyed. "Capsicle is behind me isn't he?" 

"Uh huh" said Sharon shaking her head. 

"Tony, what are you doing here? Did I hear Natasha correctly? Is Agent Coulson alive?" 

Of course the Captain had heard the entire phone conversation. Stupid super soldier. This was going to be a long day. 

\---

Phil couldn't wrap his mind around this day. First Skye gets shot, then Natasha shows up and tells him that Skye is his daughter. He had always saw it. But he had thought it was wishful thinking. He knew that's why Melinda was so cold to her. She saw someone who their daughter could have been, and she couldn't stand it. He was so happy. Then reality crashed into to him, and he had to grab onto the wall. His daughter might very well die. She couldn't. She just couldn't. Not when he just got her back. Now he didn't want to tell Mel. If Daisy died. Well she might take Melinda with her. 

"Phil?" Came Natasha's voice from beside him. 

"I'm okay. It's just that. Skye, I mean Daisy, was in really bad shape when we brought her in. I don't want to tell Mel that her daughter might die, again." Phil explained.

Natasha sighed. "I know. But I think she would want to know. If only so she could be with her daughter. We have to tell her." 

They continued walking down the hall, Natasha following Phil towards the waiting room where the team was. He opened the door, and saw Ward pacing. Fitz-Simmons, the two SoulMates, were cuddled as close as they could get on the couch. He didn't see Melinda.

"Where's May?" Asked Phil. Ward stopped pacing, and the science twins looked up, confused. 

"We thought she was with you, sir." Said Simmons.

Phil swiped his hand over his face, cursing in his mind. He closed his eyes and tried to feel his SoulBond. She was angry. No she was furious. She was, shit. She was beating up Ian Quinn. Lovely. He turned around walked back out the door, and started towards where the plane was parked. He picked up his pace to a jog, Natasha right behind him. He burst into the plane, and headed for the Cage. He slammed open the door, and saw Melinda beating Quinn, yelling about how defenseless Daisy had been. The commander in him was outraged. But the father in him was pleased, he had wanted to do the same thing since he found Daisy bleeding out on the floor. 

"May! May!" Shouted Phil. But she didn't seem to hear him. "Melinda!" 

She stopped, and looked at him. "Outside. Now." She stormed outside. Phil tried to take take some of her anger through their SoulBond, calming her down. 

"He deserves to die!" Shouted Mel.

"Yes, he does." Said Natasha plainly.

"What are you doing here Nat? You aren't supposed to be here." Said Melinda, cooling down a little. 

"Tony found something out. I need to tell you, but you need to calm down, and promise not to overreact." Nat glanced at Phil. "Do you want to tell her, or should I?"

"Mel, sit down please." Said Phil.

Melinda sat down on the couch in Phil's office. "What is it? Is she?" Melinda swallowed. "Is she dead?" 

"No, when we brought her in. They ran her DNA, standard procedure as you know. It set off one of the alerts Tony set up for Daisy. Skye is Daisy, Melinda." Said Phil gently. 

"What? Are you positive?" Said Mel.

"Yes. Tony checked the two samples himself. It's her Melinda." Said Nat.

"Oh god." Melinda started crying. Phil sat down next to her and pulled her into his arms. 

"We should go back to the others and see how she is." Muttered Phil.

They walked towards the medical facility. Phil's arm was wrapped around Melinda's shoulder, and Natasha held her hand. They took a deep breath, and walked into the building where their long lost daughter was, praying she would survive her wounds.


	6. Explanations

Tony spun on his heels, "Yes, Phil's alive. According to Natasha, who I believe. I guess Fury lied. I should of known." 

Tony looked at Steve, who appeared both furious and happy. It created a very strange look on his face. He looked at Sharon, who looked, not surprised. She shrugged and mouthed 'orders'. So apparently everyone but The Avengers knew. Tony had never been more pissed at something in his entire life. 

"Well. This is awkward. Cap, want to come to my house here in DC and talk?" Asked Tony.

"I'd like that. Thank you." Responded Steve.

They walked outside in silence, each man thinking about the news they had just learned. Tony gave Steve his address and got back in his car, Steve following on his motorcycle. It was a short drive as the house was in the District itself. Tony had bought it after his second Congressional Hearing. Tony got out of the car, and shushed Steve when he tried to speak. Once inside the house, he made sure JARVIS scanned for bugs, then put the house on lockdown. He gestured towards the living room. They sat down across from each other.

He began to speak, "So, I guess you want to know everything? I think it's time I told you. You are family, even if SHIELD wouldn't let us tell you so." 

"You consider me family?" Said Steve.

"Well, I am supposed to be named after my Father's two best friends."

"And they were?" Asked Steve.

"Edwin Jarvis, and you. Dad said you never treated him differently for being smart or having money, and he liked that. My full name is Anthony Edward Steven Stark. Edward for Jarvis and Steven for you. That's one of the reasons I was so upset on the Helicarrier. My Father considered you one of the best men he ever knew, and you were judging me when we had never even met." Explained Tony.

"I'm sorry. You're right. I judged you based on the assessments of someone else and not my own merit. It was wrong."

Tony nodded.

"So what were you talking about before? You said SHIELD wouldn't let you talk to me?"

"Yeah, we tried to see you right after you were found, but SHIELD wouldn't let us."

"Who's 'we'? You keep saying 'we'." Asked Steve.

"The Howling Commando Legacies of course. That includes Colonel Phillips' family as well, just so you know. You didn't think we all died out did you? Dad theorized that the serum might put you in stasis, so we had contingencies put in place before SHIELD went to shit." Explained Tony. 

"Contingencies?"

Tony frowned, "Well for one thing, that little 1940s stunt wasn't supposed to happen. I mean if they were going to do that, they could have at least picked a baseball game from after 1945. Another thing was one of the surviving Howling Commandos were supposed to be in the room when you woke up. Or at least Aunt Becca."

Steve looked shocked, "Aunt Becca? You don't mean Rebecca Barnes, do you? She's still alive? There are Howling Commandos still alive?"

Tony's frown turned angry, "You mean you don't know? Yes, Rebecca Barnes, she's eighty but still alive and kicking. There are three Howling Commandos still alive. They were experimented on by HYDRA. They only look and feel sixty. Thus they are kind of in hiding from the public. But SHIELD should have known about them, I mean Uncle Dum Dum was a Deputy Director under Dad and Aunt Peggy. We had expected you to make contact. There was a room set up for you in Stark Mansion, in New York."

Steve got up from the couch and threw his phone at the wall where it shattered. "They never told me. I asked about them, all of them. They handed me a stack of folders. I couldn't read them. It felt too impersonal. I was seventy years in the future. I assumed everybody I knew - I know, were dead. Turns out not even people I met two years ago are dead. I've got a migraine, and I'm not supposed to even get migraines anymore." 

\---

Phil dropped his arm off Melinda's shoulder as they walked back into the hospital. Nurses, Agents, and Doctors dodged out of the way as the three friends walked down the hall towards the waiting room. 

Ward stopped his pacing as they walked into the room, "Sir, may I ask why the Black Widow is with you? I thought The Avengers weren't supposed to know you were still alive?" 

"Let's just say they figured it out for themselves." Said Phil, "Any news on Skye?"

"No Sir, not yet." Said Simmons.

Phil and Melinda commandeered the couch as Ward resumed his pacing, and Natasha leaned against the wall. Phil didn't know whether or not to tell the others on his team that Skye was Melinda and his' daughter. He trusted them, but he kind of wanted to hoard that knowledge. Maybe he should wait to tell them after he had told Daisy. 

Daisy. His daughter. He couldn't believe they had found her. And she had been on his team for 3 months. He was so proud, and horrified. Daisy had been living in a van when he found her. He had seen the look in her eyes, and knew she had been abused in foster care. He was going to kill whoever had hurt her when this was over.

His thoughts were interrupted by the door to the waiting room opening. Everyone immediately got to their feet, and they all started talking at once. Simmons got right into the face of the Doctor, trying to bully her into telling her all of Skye's statistics. The doctor put up her hand, and silenced the room. 

"Well?" Said Phil, "How is she?"

The Doctor took a deep breath, "I'm sorry to say that the bullets did quite significant damage to her internal organs. We've done everything we could." 

"Is she going to live?" Said Phil apprehensively. 

"I suggest you get her family here as soon as possible." Replied the Doctor.

Phil looked at his team, and then at Melinda. He could feel her pain, and he was sure she could feel his. He looked at Natasha, who was stone faced. But Phil knew that was an act, a way for Nat to hold on to herself. Phil looked back at the Doctor. 

"We're her family."

"Then, I'm very sorry."

\---

Tony looked at Steve, and realized that for perhaps the first time he was looking at the true Steve Rogers. It was a nice change. He got up from the couch, and went over to the bar. He got out a bottle of scotch and poured them both a glass.

"I can't get drunk."

"I know. Doesn't mean you can't enjoy the taste, and the burn. Figured you needed something a bit stronger than water." 

Steve took the glass, and sipped at the drink. 

"Since you didn't know the family was waiting for you, I'll accept your apology." Said Tony.

"Apology? For what?" Steve looked outraged.

"That you didn't contact us. We thought you might be snubbing us, or at least that's what it felt like. It's another reason why I was so angry at you on the Helicarrier. I thought everything Dad told me about you was wrong. So I apologize too." Explained Tony. 

"Oh. Well. I am sorry for that. And I forgive you too." 

Steve noticed that Tony kept looking at his phone. He looked quite anxious. "Expecting a phone call?"

Tony looked up from his phone, "I'm expecting a status update on my goddaughter from Natasha." 

"Status update? And I didn't know you had a goddaughter?"

"Yes. She 's with SHIELD too. She was on a Mission and was shot. Natasha is her godmother. You know her parents, or at least her father." Said Tony.

"Who's her father?"

"Phil."

"Phil? Phil Coulson? I didn't know he had a daughter." Said Steve, surprised.

"Yeah. You met her mother briefly at his funeral. Melinda May. Daisy has actually been missing most of her life. We just found her, and the only reason we found her was that she had been shot. They ran her DNA through the SHIELD database, and it set off an alert system I set up for her. Natasha wouldn't let me go with her, said I was too high profile. She's right of course, but I just really want to be there. God I hope she's okay." Said Tony.


	7. Chapter 7

"So Agent Coulson has a child?" Asked Steve.

"Well, she's not really a child anymore. She's 22."

Anything more they were going to say was interrupted by Tony's cell phone ringing. 

"Nat? How is she?" Tony said quickly.

Nat shifted slightly in the corner she had found in the bottom of the Bus, where she had hid from the world. Nat knew that both Clint and Laura could feel her anguish. She could feel her SoulMates love pouring in from their bond, but it did little to help. She bit her lip.

"She's uh. That is, the doctors said they don't believe she's going to make it." Sniffled Natasha.

"WHAT? She can't die! We just found her. We can't lose her again! What can I do? What do we do?" 

Tony was at a loss for words. He knew he couldn't go to his goddaughter. He hadn't felt this lost for words since his parents had died. Steve looked heartbroken for him, and had put his hand on Tony's shoulder.

"The doctors said they could only make her comfortable. But we're going to try to find something to heal her. Something that healed Phil." Said Natasha, "I'll let you know what we find, or if we can heal her."

"I'll have doctors on standby at Stark Tower, just in case." 

"Good idea. Thank you." 

Tony hung up the phone, and looked at Steve. "I have to go back to New York. Do you want to come with me?" 

Steve looked at Tony, shocked. He could see Howard in this man, where he couldn't before. Maybe that Tony had been an act. Like Perfect Steve Rogers was an act.

"I would love that. But I have to call into SHIELD, and take some time off. I'll say it's a family emergency. If it is-?" 

"You're family. And this is an emergency. Boy would Phil fanboy about this." Tony giggled.

Steve called into SHIELD while Tony moved his motorcycle into the garage. They both got into Tony's car, and headed for New York. 

\---

Simmons and Fitz were trying to decipher the files that hid the information that could save Skye. 

Ward was back to pacing in the gym of the Bus. 

Natasha was with Melinda in the cockpit, while Phil was downstairs with Skye. Melinda was stone faced but inside, she was in turmoil. Skye was her baby girl. The baby she had lost 22 years ago. She was so beautiful, and she was dying. Her thoughts were broken by a voice on the radio.

"SHIELD-616, this is Tower Michael Tango. You are in violation of Directive 1297, respond immediately."

Natasha looked at Melinda, "Disobeying a Direct Order. I can override it, using an Avengers code. But that makes this an Official Avengers Mission."

"Do it." Said Melinda, "This was an Official Avengers Mission the moment we found out who Skye was." 

Natasha nodded, "Tower Michael Tango, this is Black Widow. Authorization Code 17495. This is now an Official Avengers Mission. Override Code 4798."

"New orders received. Official Avengers Mission. As you were, SHIELD-616." 

The F22 jets that had come beside the plane to escort them broke off, and they were on their own. 

\---

When Tony and Steve got back to New York, they immediately started setting up for Daisy's arrival. Tony had two of the best surgeons in the world standing by.

Pepper came charging onto the floor that had been made into an infirmary for the Avengers. "Tony? What's going on?" 

"We found Daisy!" Shouted Tony, from behind some medical equipment he was messing with.

"Oh Tony. That's wonderful. But why are you-" 

"She's been shot." Said Tony bluntly, "They're not sure she's going to make it. Pepper, there's something else I need to talk to you about. I think you better sit down." 

Pepper leaned against the hospital bed and said, "What is it?"

"Phil's alive. Fury lied to us."

Tony was going to punch the hell out of Fury the next time he saw him. Nobody made Pepper cry. 

"Phil's alive? How?" Pepper put her hand over her mouth with tears in her eyes.

"We don't know. We'll figure it out after the Daisy Crisis."

"Oh God! Does he know about her?"

"Yes," Tony smirked, "He's the one who found her. Completely by accident."

Tony and Pepper broke into giggles that turn quiet as they remembered by they were there. 

"Do you think they'll find a miracle?" Asked Pepper.

"I have faith in Phil." Replied Tony.

\---

Back on the Bus, FitzSimmons had figured out the files on Coulson. The plane was headed to the secret base where Coulson had been resurrected. Natasha was leading a briefing. 

"Okay, so this isn't an Official SHIELD base. I'm going to use an emergency Avengers code, and hope that they recognize it." 

"And if they don't?" Asked Fitz.

"Then we'll do it the hard way." Said Ward, locking and loading his gun.

"Correct. But let's hope it doesn't come to that." Said Coulson.

"Here we go." Said Melinda over the intercom as the plane descended. 

Natasha, Coulson, Fitz and Ward charged out of the plane as it landed. The came to a cliff face with one door, and a security camera. The security camera turned and looked at them.

"How was the drive from Istanbul?" 

"Avengers Emergency Code: Alpha Charlie 1954." Said Natasha.

"Welcome, Agent Romanov." The door swung open.

Natasha looked back at the team, relieved. They walked in, and were met by two guards. 

"What do you need, Agent Romanov?" One of them asked.

"I need to look at your medical facilities, and talk to the doctors."

"The doctors aren't here, ma'am. They come and go."

"Then please escort Agent Fitz here to the lab." Said Natasha. "Ward, go with him."

"Yes, ma'am."

Natasha noticed Phil had wandered off, and ran to catch up. She had just found him walking towards her as if in a daze, when over the radio came Ward.

"Ma'am, we've got the drug." 

"Then get it up to Simmons, we'll met you there." 

"We've found it, come on." She said to Phil, dragging him by his arm. 

"No." Phil muttered, "Wait." They hurried back up to the plane. 

"WAIT! STOP!" Yelled Phil to Simmons as they ran into the plane. 

But it was too late, Simmons had already emptied the syringe into Skye's IV.

"I'm sorry, Sir. Skye was coding anyway, what harm could it do?"

"That's what I'm afraid of, Agent Simmons. The things we don't know about this drug."

The Agents gathered around Skye's hospital bed, watching as her vitals stabilized; moving from being in a coma to simply sleeping.


	8. Chapter 8

"Skye? Can you hear me?" Skye heard AC's voice like through a fog.

"Coulson?" She asked, opening her eyes.

He was sitting by her bedside, and he looked exhausted. There were blue bags under his eyes, his suit was rumpled and dusty. 

"Yeah, I'm here. Thank God." He looked happier than when he went on about the ancient tech in his office. 

"How are you feeling? Simmons thinks you should be okay." Coulson asked.

"I ache. All over. But not as bad as I would have thought considering I got shot." Answered Skye.

"Are you up for a talk? I have something to tell you, regarding your parents." Said Coulson, a little apprehensively. This was the moment. The moment when Skye would find out about Melinda. And Tony. And Natasha. And Him. She was going to find out that Skye, the little orphan girl, was actually his little girl. 

"My parents? What?" Said Skye, astonished.

Coulson summoned all the courage in his body, he was more nervous about telling Skye than he had been taking on Loki.

"Did you know that running DNA on Agents who are in medical for the first time is standard practice?" Coulson began.

"Noo?" Skye drew out the end, "Why are you telling me this?"

"The doctors ran your DNA when we brought you in. It matched a 22 year old cold case."

"What? So-" began Skye.

Coulson held up his hand, "I'll tell you everything." 

He took a fortifying breath, "You were born to two loving parents. They were SoulMates who met in their late teens. They got married, and along came you. You were their pride and joy, they were so happy when you were born. Then one day, tragedy struck."

Coulson got a gripe on his emotions, and continued. "Your father was out of town one night, and your mother had just laid you down to sleep. Someone broke into the house, and stole you from your crib. They almost killed your mother in the process. No one ever found you, or the people who took you, again."

"Until now." Said Skye.

"Until now."

"How do you know all of this? Do you know my parents?" Asked Skye.

"Yeah, you could say I know your parents. I know your father very well. Skye" he paused, "I'm your father." 

Skye tried to sit up in bed, then flinched and plopped back down.

"YOUR my FATHER? That story you told me was about you? Where's my mom? What's my name? Did you really-" She stopped talking, looked down and started picking at her blanket. 

Coulson leaned over and took her hand. "We never stopped looking for you. And we never stopped loving you." 

Skye looked up at AC - No her dad - and smiled timidly. 

"Yes. I'm your father. But you probably won't believe who your mother is." 

"Who's my mom?" 

"May. We're SoulMates. We met when I was 19, and Melinda was 18. We were both Cadets at the SHIELD Academy."

"MAY IS MY MOTHER?! Umm, where is she then? Does - does she not want me because now she knows who I am?"

Coulson started, "NO! No! She wants you, and loves you no matter what. But currently she's busy flying the Bus to New York to get you checked out. She also thought that you might take it better coming from me."

"Okay, so about the other questions." 

"Well. Your name is Daisy. Daisy Mei Coulson."

"May? My middle name is May? Why did you choose Daisy?" Asked Skye.

"MEI is your middle name." He spelled it for her, and explained. "It's Chinese and means beautiful. It's traditional on your mothers side of the family for middle names to be Chinese." 

"Oh cool."

"We had a bit of trouble deciding on your name. I wanted to give you Melinda's last name as your first name, but your mother hated it. Your godfather suggested Daisy as your first name because I gave your mother a bouquet of daisies on our first date. Your godmother suggested Mei." Said Coulson.

Daisy. Her name was Daisy. Daisy Mei. Skye liked it. It was short and sweet. She could imagine life had she grown up with it. It was perfect. She had parents, and godparents. Did she have grandparents too? Could she be so lucky? 

"Who are my godparents? Do I have grandparents? When's my birthday exactly?" Skye was interrupted by Coulson's laugh.

"Skye, Skye, calm down! You will learn everything eventually. Yes, you have grandparents on your mothers side. My parents are dead. Your birthday is July 2, 1991."

"I think I want to be called Daisy." Skye - no - Daisy said, "I mean it is my name. I have a name." She smiled.

The plane banked right. "Where are we headed?" 

"Stark Tower."

"STARK TOWER?!" Exclaimed Daisy, "WHY?" 

"To see your godfather, of course."


	9. Chapter 9

"Who's my godfather? Actually who is my godmother while we are talking about it." Said Daisy, eagerly.

Coulson laughed, "Well I'm not sure I should tell you. You were just shot." 

"Coulson." Daisy whined, "I can handle it."

Coulson contemplated telling her. He decided he would tell her about him first.

"Well, your godfather and I are close friends. Most people are unaware that we've know each other since we were children."

"Okay, cool." Smirked Daisy, "So he'll have lots of embarrassing stories to tell me about you?" 

"Maybe the two of you meeting isn't such a good idea after all." Coulson sighed. He could see it now, Tony and Daisy were going to get along like a house on fire.

"No!" Daisy giggled, "Ow. I want to meet him."

"Well I'm pretty sure he's anxious to meet you. I already know that he's going to love you."

\---

After receiving the call from Nat telling them that Daisy had been saved; Tony, Pepper, and Steve had begun preparations for the Bus Team to visit Avengers Tower. Pepper was preparing the guest floors. Steve was cooking up a storm. And Tony was having a minor freak out. He was worried she wouldn't like him, although...

Natasha had talked to him for awhile after confirming Daisy was okay. Apparently his little goddaughter was the infamous hacker 'skyenet'. He had to remember to thank her. Daisy's hack into Stark Industries had revealed two board members who had been colluding with Obadiah Stane. JARVIS was excited to meet her, apparently they used to chat. 

"Sir, the Bus has landed in the hanger bay."

The waiting party rushed to the level of the Tower where the Bus had landed. They got there right as the ramp of the plane was coming down to reveal Natasha. 

"Nat! Where is everybody?" Said Tony.

"Well Agent Simmons is preparing Daisy for transfer to the infirmary. Phil and Melinda are with her, of course. Agent Ward is talking Agent Fitz through a panic attack about meeting his idol."

Tony laughed, "Why is Fitz having a panic attack? I'm not that intimidating, am I?"

Just then a woman came down the ramp, who Tony assumed was Simmons. 

"Is your medical team prepared to receive Skye?" She said.

"Yes, we're all set." Said Tony.

"Well Skye is prepared to be moved." Replied Simmons.

They moved Daisy from the Bus' medical pod into the medical bay of the Tower. Then the Bus team gathered outside Daisy's room. 

"So," began Coulson, "I'm sure you all want answers as to what is going on."

"Yes Sir. Why are we at Avengers Tower?" Ward looked irritated.

"What all of you, with the except of May, don't know." He paused.

Coulson wasn't sure how to deliver this news. Best to get right out, he thought, like ripping off a bandaid. 

He began again, "What most of you don't know is that Melinda May and I are SoulMates."

Simmons gasped, Ward looked confused, and Fitz looked as though he might faint. 

"21 and a half years ago, our daughter was kidnapped. We couldn't find her until - " 

"Oh my Lord! Skye's your daughter!" Concluded Simmons.

"Yes. Skye is Melinda and I's daughter."

"But why are we at Avengers Tower?" Asked Fitz.

"Wait, what's Skye's real name?" Asked Simmons.

Coulson smiled, "Daisy. Daisy Mei Coulson." 

"Oh Sir, that's beautiful. Skye, I mean Daisy, will be so happy. She found her family at last."

Coulson continued, "To answer your question Fitz, we're here because Tony Stark is Daisy's godfather."

\---

The medical staff of Avengers Tower wheeled Daisy's hospital bed into the medical ward where Bruce Banner was waiting. 

"Hello Miss Coulson." Said Bruce.

"Wow that's weird. Hi." Said Daisy. 

She noticed that Tony Stark was staring at her, and wondered why. 

"What?" She asked.

"I'm so sorry I didn't find you. Sooner, that is. It was my program that discovered who you are." 

"Your program?" 

"Yes. I'm your godfather. I wanted to help find you so I put a sample of your DNA in every database in the world, hoping one day we would find you. And we did."

"YOU'RE MY GODFATHER?! Holy, no way. Tony Stark is my godfather." She whispered to herself. 

Tony laughed, "Yes. I'm your godfather. Glad to meet you. You can call me Uncle Tony or Tony or what Hulky calls me 'Tin Man'. Now Bruce here is going to check you out to make sure your going to be okay. Daisy Coulson meet Bruce Banner aka the Hulk aka my Platonic SoulMate." 

Platonic SoulMates were different than Romantic SoulMates. Their Marks differentiated in that they showed up as Silver instead of Black. A Platonic SoulMate was your best friend.

Bruce waved awkwardly, "Hello."

"Hi. My friend Jemma talks about you all the time." Said Daisy. 

"Fan of the Hulk, is she?" Said Tony, nudging Bruce, who grimaced. 

"No. She's a fan of your work. She's on our team - BioChem." 

"Oh. Well that's a nice change."

Melinda came into the room, "There you are."

"Hi." Daisy said.

"We'll talk later, okay?" Said Melinda.

"Yeah." Said Daisy, apprehensively.

"So," said Tony, cutting through the awkward silence, "We're going to make sure you haven't started and aren't going to, deteriorate."

\---

"WHAT?!" Shouted the entire Bus team. 

Coulson almost laughed, but retained his neutral expression.

"Yes, Daisy's godfather is Tony Stark. I've known Tony since we were children. My father was a SHIELD agent under Howard Stark, though not many people know this."

"Does Daisy have a godmother?" Asked Simmons.

"It's Agent Romanov, isn't it?" Said Fitz.

"The Black Widow?" Said Ward, "No way."

"It makes sense," argued Fitz, "She's been invested in Sk-Daisy's well being, and she came right after she got shot."

Ward had a look of realization on his face, "It's a well know fact that Agent Coulson was Strike Team: Delta's handler before the Battle of New York." 

"And Agent May was Strike Team: Delta up until a few years ago when she transferred to Admin suddenly." Said Simmons. 

The three of them seemed to have forgotten Phil was in the room. He smiled to himself. He really did have quite a clever team. They had figured it out all on their own. 

Phil interrupted their conversation with, "You're right." 

"He's right, Sir?" Said Ward 

"I am?" Asked Fitz at the same time. 

"Yes. Natasha is a good friend to both Melinda and I. And she's Daisy's godmother." 

The room went silence as the Agents contemplated what it all meant. 

Steve came into the room.

"So, if you all could follow me?" Steve said, leading them down to the Common Floor. "We have food prepared for you. There's meatloaf and mashed potatoes. There is also chicken noodle soup, but please leave enough for Daisy. I remember that you're generally on a liquid diet after being shot. There are also rooms prepared for you all on this floor. I'll leave it to you guys to sort out room arrangements."

"Thank you, Captain Rogers." Said Ward.

"Yes, thank you Captain." Said Coulson.

"Sir, may I go check on Daisy? I want to make sure she's settled in." Asked Simmons.

"Of course."

Simmons ran off, back to the infirmary. 

"I'm glad you're alive," Steve said to Coulson, "and I'm glad you've found your daughter." 

"Tony told you everything, I presume?" Asked Phil.

"He didn't get to everything but I've gotten the gist of it. I'd like to discuss some of the things with you, if possible." 

"Of course." Replied Phil.

"In private." 

Phil nodded his head then said, "If you would like we could discuss things now. I don't want to be in the same room as Agent Simmons, Doctor Banner and Tony."

"Certainly."

\---

"Umm May?" Said Daisy as Tony and Bruce preformed a battery of tests that went way over her head. 

"Yes." Said May from the chair beside Daisy's bed. 

"Who's my godmother? Coulson said he was going to tell me but he never got around to it:" 

May smirked at her. No, not May, her mother. May was her mother. Daisy had never even seen a semblance of a smile from her. It made her look years younger. 

"Well your godmother is one of my best friends. She was there with me when you were born. She was also the first to hold you, after your father and I."

"So what's her name? When do I get to meet her?" Thoughts were flowing through Daisy's mind. "When do I get to meet my grandparents?" She had grandparents! She had a family after so many years of hoping.

"Well your grandparents don't know we've found you yet. We haven't had a chance to tell them. Your grandmother lives in DC, so you'll probably meet her sooner than your grandfather as he lives in Arizona. Now as for your godmother, she's right here in this Tower." 

"Really?" Exclaimed Daisy, nerves were suddenly over taking her. What if she didn't like her? What if she didn't like her godmother? 

"Yes. I believe you have heard of her. She's known as the Black Widow. Though she will insist on 'Aunt Nat'." 

Daisy fainted to the sound of an indignant "Hey! No stressing out the patient!," from Mr. Stark. Or she guessed, 'Uncle Tony'. It was her last thought before she faded into the blissful and quiet darkness, the stress of the day catching up with her.


	10. Chapter 10

Coulson pulled Steve into a guest room, and shut the door so the others wouldn't hear what they were going to discuss. There were some things he didn't want the team to know, no matter how much he trusted them.

"So what did you want to talk about Captain?"

Honestly, Coulson wasn't that unaware as to what Captain Rogers wanted to discuss. He had been pissed when SHIELD had given him orders not to reveal himself. He was luckier than most of his family thought, he had gotten to meet the Captain as Agent Coulson.

"SHIELD gave orders not to talk about what was left of my family? The Howling Commandos may not have been biologically related to me but they were still my brothers in my heart." 

"Captain, I am more aware of your situation than you comprend." Said Coulson calmly.

"Oh really?" Steve gritted out.

Should he tell? Phil considered his options. On one hand he could follow orders, on the other he could do what was right and disobey. What was it his great-grandfather used to say? 'Better to seek forgiveness than ask permission.'

Coulson sighed, "Captain, I had orders not to tell you. You don't know how hard that was for me, not to tell you anything about your family."

"You know a great man once told me that being a soldier isn't following orders but knowing when not to follow orders."

Now was the moment to tell Steve the one thing he hadn't had the courage to do when they first met. The timing just hadn't been right, and then he had died. 

"I'm well aware who told you that, Captain."

"Are you?" Asked Steve, looking surprised.

"He was my great-grandfather. I was named in part for him."

"What?!" Said Steve, astonished.

"I meant to tell you when we first met but the timing just wasn't right." Said Coulson, sheepishly.

"My mother was his only grandchild. She wanted to preserve the his name and so named me Phillip."

"Your mother was little Ruth Phillips?"

"Yes. You knew her?"

"No. Pictures mainly, and stories. You have her eyes from what Phillips told me about her."

Coulson smiled, he did indeed have his mothers eyes. Ruth Phillips had been one of the sweetest people he had ever known. And also one of the strongest. Her SoulMate had been James Coulson who had been a SHIELD Agent under Howard Stark, Peggy Carter, and Colonel Phillips when they met. Phil's father had died on a mission when he was eight. It had been heartbreaking for his mother, who ended up growing closer to James' bosses. It was how Phil and Tony had met when Phil was fourteen and Tony eight. 

"Very few people know of my relationship to Colonel Phillips. You are now one of ten."

"Really?"

"Tony knows. We met when he was eight and I was fourteen. As does Director Fury and my wife."

"I'm honored to be one of those ten. But may I ask, why don't more people know?"

"Most of the people who did know at one point of another are dead now. Everyone only knows I'm a SHIELD Legacy because I'm a Coulson."

"Well I'm glad to know. But I'm still upset about you not telling us that you were alive."

"You were all working together, and honestly I was worried if I told you it would all fall apart." 

"Oh. Well, I don't think the team is that fragile anymore."

"No. You're a team in your own right now." Coulson smiled.

"Why don't you go check on your daughter? I believe I've kept you long enough."

Coulson smiled, which Steve returned, opened the door and head towards the medical ward of Avengers Tower. He couldn't believe today. He had found his daughter and subsequently almost lost her. He had been able to see his family again, well most of it. Clint, Laura and the kids had not been able to come. And currently, Director Fury did not know about the reunion. He could only imagine the trouble he was going to be in when this got out.


	11. Chapter 11

Coulson entered the infirmary of Avengers Tower; finding Tony, Bruce and Simmons geeking out over Daisy's test results. Melinda was sitting in a chair next to Daisy's hospital bed, and it looked like they were having an interesting discussion. Phil was happy to see his two girls getting along and bonding. 

"AC! I mean Coulson! Dad. I don't really know what to call you at the moment." Said Daisy hesitantly. 

"Coulson is fine, or AC, or even Dad. Whatever you're comfortable with."

"I think I'll stick to AC for now." She smiled. 

"Okay."

"Hey, did you know my grandma was the Director of the CIA?" 

"I did. Lian will be so happy to see you." 

"Yeah?" Daisy smiled.

"She headed up the search for you when you were taken. She took not finding you very hard and personal." 

"So how are you doing?"

"She's healing at an exponential rate. It's fascinating." Said Bruce 

"It'd be less fascinating if I told what was causing it." Said Coulson.

Bruce looked at Coulson, confused. 

"I'd tell you, but I'm slightly afraid you'd Hulk out."

Bruce grimaced, "Please don't tell me then."

"Sir," Simmons interrupted, "If we could replicate its effects, we could save hundreds, possibly thousands of lives!" 

"No." Coulson could see she was going to make an argument of it. "And that's my final word on the matter, Agent Simmons. This is Classified Level 10 for a reason, and we will be keeping it that way." 

Simmons looked disappointed but steadfast to follow orders. "Yes, sir. Sk-Daisy, sorry it's going to take some getting used too. Why don't you try and get some sleep? It's been a long couple of days and your body is still healing."

Daisy looked at Coulson apprehensively. Coulson knew what she was thinking. This wasn't real. She was going to wake up and be on the Bus or in her van. 

"This isn't a dream, Daisy. You are my daughter. I am your father and Melinda is your mother. We will still be here when you wake up. But we're going to get some sleep too. Simmons is right, it's been a long couple of days and we could all use some rest."

Daisy looked at him, reassured.

Melinda glared at him, "I just got her back. If you think I'm leaving her side for one minute, Phillip Coulson..." 

Bruce interrupted the threat by clearing his throat.

"I'm sure Tony can arrange things so you can sleep in the infirmary near Daisy."

"Excellent suggestion, Dr. Banner." Said Phil quickly, happy to be out of the line of fire. Melinda had quickly turned into a mama bear, not that he could blame her.

Daisy giggled, "I like Mama May."

Melinda smiled indulgently at her.

"Sir, I'll make sure the team knows not to disturb you three." Said Simmons.

"Tell Ward he's in charge for now, but I'm ordering all of you to get some sleep as well. We've all been stressed out since Italy, so please try to relax." Coulson said.

"Will do, sir. And may I say congratulations on finding your daughter and to Daisy in finding her parents?"

"Thank you, Jemma."

Simmons patted Daisy's foot, and left the room.

"Don't worry, Phil. I'll get two beds set up next to Daisy's here." Said Tony.

"You should get some sleep too, Tone."

Tony growled, "Fine, you Mother Hen."

\---

The next morning saw all the Avengers in the Tower, a whopping four (Bruce, Natasha, Steve and Tony), gather in the living room on the Common Floor with the SHIELD team. 

Daisy was allowed out of bed, albeit in a wheelchair being pushed around by her father. Coulson and May sat on either sides of her wheelchair. They hadn't had time to talk as a family yet. Though Daisy had spoken individually to both of them. Coulson and May. Mom and Dad. How strange to think she had been with her parents the whole time she was on the Bus. She had been kidnapped by her father. 

They were all sitting in a circle. Jemma was across from her, Fitz by her left side and Ward on her right. Ward looked like even more of a grumpy pants than usual, his face pinched.

Captain Rogers sat next to Mr. St-Uncle Tony, while Dr. Banner sat in a chair opposite Ms. Potts, who was sitting on Uncle Tony's other side, and holding his hand. Pepper Potts! Daisy was in the same room as Pepper Potts! She was squealing on the inside. 

"So how are you alive exactly? I saw your body. I read the autopsy report. There is no human way possible for you to be alive." Said Tony to Coulson

"I don't quite know the answer to it, myself. I need to talk to Fury, who isn't answering his phone right now." 

"Hmm, we'll deal with the Cyclops later. Glad you're alive, Agent."

Coulson laughed, "Me too."

"So what are we going to tell Fury?" Asked Bruce, "I mean you're not supposed to be here or have contact with us."

"I don't-" Coulson was cut off by the one person they were speaking about. 

"What the God Damn Hell is going on here?!"

Uh oh. Coulson knew that voice. The moment he had been dreading had come to pass. Director Fury was in Stark Tower. Or Avengers Tower. Whatever it was being called these days, it didn't matter. What mattered now was that Fury knew that the Avengers knew that he was alive. And his SHIELD team was probably in some deep shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. It's been almost a year since I first posted this! I can't believe it. It's been a rough one for me... And this week is rough for me too... thanks to everyone who's commented or given kudos!


	12. Chapter 12

When Nick Fury walked on to the Common Room Floor of Avengers Tower, he wasn't sure what he was going to find. He wasn't expecting to see the entire Bus Team along with half of the Avengers. He knew his plan to keep Phil's resurrection a secret wouldn't last forever, but he thought he would have a bit more time. 

"Sir, I can explain." Said the man of the hour, Coulson.

"You better have a damn good explanation, I'm waiting." 

"Skye is Daisy."

Whatever excuse Nick was expecting, that wasn't it. He hadn't seen Daisy since she was five months old. Both Coulson and May had been needed on a mission with Strike Team: Delta. Stark had been at a conference in Germany. Fury had been relegated to babysitting. She had been a surprisingly well behaved baby. 

Fury looked at the girl sitting in wheelchair between Coulson and May. She had Phil's jawline and hair, with Melinda's eyes and lips. She was the perfect combination of the two of them. Fury didn't know how any of them never saw it before. 

"That changes things." Said Fury.

"I know. Tony and Nat deserved to know about their goddaughter. I figured they would tell the others, which is exactly what happened." Said Coulson.

Fury ran his hand over his face, "What's done is done. We need to figure out where she's been all these years."

"We know where she was found. China. The people who kidnapped her took her to the Hunan Province of China. And a SHIELD Team found her."

"Why didn't they run a DNA test when they found her?" Asked Simmons.

"Yeah, DNA testing has been standard protocol since 1985. What happened?" Asked Fitz.

"According to what we've discovered, Daisy was put into immediate Foster Care. The System was ordered to move her around consistently to keep her under the radar. The SHIELD team who brought her in wiped her from all records. It may be the only reason she's alive, actually. The reports are, disturbing, to say the least." Said May.

"I'll look into it." Said Tony.

"Don't." Said Phil, "At least two SHIELD Teams have been murdered protecting her, along with a whole village in China. No one except the people in this room knows who Daisy is. She's safer anonymous. But if you go digging..." 

"It could alert whoever is after her." Said Fury, "I'm declaring Daisy Coulson's identity to be a Level 10 Secret. Agent Coulson's Team, the Avengers, and Maria Hill will be the only ones who know that baby from China is Daisy. Understood? If people ask, Daisy has been undercover as Skye, infiltrating the Rising Tide. 

"That could work." Said Coulson, "Most Agents aren't aware Melinda and I had a daughter or that she was missing. But what are we going to do about her Credentials? She's not technically a SHIELD Agent yet."

"I'll be issuing her a Level 8 Communications and Level 4 Operations Credentials backdated 2 years. She'll have been trained in Operations by May and Communications by you. I expect she's up to date in Communications..." 

"I'll help train her in Operations." Said Natasha.

"Really?" Asked Daisy.

"You're my goddaughter. Of course I'll help train you." 

"Sweet."

"So Skye will have been 'undercover' the whole time?" Asked Ward.

"Daisy," Said Coulson, "and yes. We need to make sure she's safe." 

"Very well." Said Ward, sighing. 

"This is an Order from the Director, Agent Ward. Disobey it, and I'll send you to Siberia. Permanently." Said Fury. 

Ward sat up straight, "Yes, Sir."

"I'm glad to see you're alive, Miss Coulson."

"Um, thanks?"

"The last time I laid eyes on you, you were five months old." Said Fury.

"You knew me when I was a baby?" Asked Daisy.

"I did. Even babysat you a few times."

Daisy's jaw dropped open. The Director of SHIELD had babysat her? Oh my god, that was so embarrassing. 

Fury gave a small smirk. 

"No more hacking SHIELD, got it?" He said, pointing at Daisy.

Daisy nodded her head, stunned into silence. 

Fury nodded his head once, turned on his heels and left.

"Well, that was fun." Said Tony.

"Oh, shit." Said Natasha.

"What?" Asked Coulson.

"I forgot to tell Clint that Daisy's okay. He's probably worried out of his mind."

Coulson laughed, "Yeah, you should probably tell him."

Everyone dispersed after that impromptu meeting with Fury. 

Simmons and Fitz went with Tony and Bruce down to Tony's workshop in the basement of the Tower. Pepper went back to the Executive levels to continue running Stark Industries. Ward went with Steve to the gym level. And Natasha went to tell Clint (and Laura, though no one but Coulson, May, Fury and Tony knew of her and the kids) that Daisy had pulled through. 

It left Daisy, Phil and Melinda in the living room of the Common Room Floor. It was time for their first talk as a family.


	13. Chapter 13

Daisy looked at May and AC. They were starring at her. Not that she could blame them if they had thought she was dead for the last twenty-one years. 

"So." She drew out the word, "This is kind of awkward."

May looked away quickly. Coulson chuckled.

"You'll have to forgive us, Daisy. You've - "

"Essentially been dead for twenty years. Yeah. This is all a little hard to believe. I grew up an orphan, thinking my parents never wanted me or were dead. Now I know that both assumptions couldn't be further from the truth." Daisy said.

"H-How did you grow up? Who raised you? I mean I know you were left at an orphanage, according Lumley. But where were you? How did grow up?" Asked Melinda quickly, looking at Daisy.

"I grew up in a private Catholic orphanage called St. Agnes. It's in Brooklyn." Said Daisy with a chuckle, "We had these Patron Saints who we got to choose. I choose Steve Rogers, actually."

"That was a good choice. I didn't think there were orphanages in the US anymore, though." Said Coulson.

"St. Agnes has been around for like 170 years. It's one of two in New York. I think they're last two in the country maybe. The other orphanage is one that's been around about 200 years. I know it was founded by the wife of a Founding Father, but that's all I really know." Said Daisy.

"It was smart to hide you in an orphanage. No one thinks they exist anymore. Anyone looking for you would have searched the Foster System for your Foster Home. I know the system was ordered to move you around a lot. But you always came back to the orphanage in the end?" Asked May.

"Yeah. When it came down to it I'd spend about 6 months in various Foster homes throughout the year and spend 6 months in the orphanage."

"I'm so sorry, Daisy. You never should have grown up like that. We should have done more to find you. You were right under our noses the whole time." Said Coulson.

"It's okay and it doesn't matter."

"It doesn't matter?" Asked May, incredulous.

"I'm alive. I'm safe for the most part. And most importantly, I'm back with my parents." 

May and Coulson smiled at her, and she smiled back. She was glad that she had found them. And she was glad it was May and Coulson. She wouldn't admit aloud, but even before she knew they were her parents she'd been thinking of what it would be like to have them as her parents. Never in her wildest dreams did she think they'd actually be them. It was a dream come true and she couldn't help but wonder when she would wake up from it.

"Were you happy?" Asked May, tentatively.

"It wasn't unhappy. I've got good memories. And a good friend from the orphanage I still keep in touch with, Matt. It could be lonely sometimes. But the Nuns weren't bad people. A bit strict but I think they loved us in their own ways." Explained Daisy.

"Good. I've heard stories about Catholic Nuns in orphanages. I was worried you grew up like that." Said May.

"Not everybody's like that. There was this one nun when I was little, maybe three or four. She was like that but the other Nuns stopped her and sent her away. I don't know where, though. And she never did anything to me." Said Daisy.

"I want you to know if we had known you were in Brooklyn the entire time, we never would have hesitated to come get you." Said Coulson, "And we never will. I promise we will always be there for you from now on. And we will always find you."

Daisy smiled, "I used to dream you'd come find me. To say it was a mistake or an accident and you'd come to get me. This, this is kinda like a dream come true. As I got older, I guess I got more cynical. I started thinking maybe the government had taken me away from you because you were bad parents. Or maybe I was just unwanted."

"Never unwanted." Said May.

Daisy leaned into the side of Melinda, ignoring the pain in her abdomen. Melinda put her arm around her and pulled her closer. Tears started running down both of their faces as the realized they were finally reunited, mother and daughter. Coulson wrapped his arms around both of them. All three of them reveled in the fact they were reunited for the first time in twenty-one years.

\----

"So you said that Becca Barnes is alive?"

Steve had cornered Tony in the living room. Daisy, Coulson and May had cleared out to god knows where. They were sitting on the couch, and Tony was jiggling his leg. Apparently the man had trouble when there was nothing to do, and just couldn't sit still. It reminded Steve bittersweetly of Howard. 

"Yep. She lives out in California. We'd better warn her when you see her that you didn't know she was alive until recently. Otherwise, she's likely to clobber you over the head with her cane."

"Yeah," said Steve with a smile and a chuckle, "sounds like Becca alright."

"Her family is going to be so happy to see you, they've all grown up of stories of the Howlies." Said Tony.

"Her family? She had kids?" 

"Two of them. A boy and girl." Tony smiled like he knew something Steve didn't, which he usually did.

"One of them is named after me, aren't they?" Steve said warily.

"Yep!" Said Tony, grinning. "Stephanie Winifred, but everyone calls her Steph. We grew up together. She's probably the closest thing I've got to an older sister. Her older brother's name is James Richard, he goes by Ricky though, after..."

"Bucky. When did Becca move to California?"

"She met a soldier from California, Matthew Proctor, during the war, but her father didn't approve of them getting married, so they put it off for awhile. They got the news about Bucky being KIA, and George Barnes gave them permission to marry. Then they got the news that you had died. Becca apparently went off the rails, both of her big brothers dead. They eloped a week after that. Moved to Cali after he got back in '45." Tony explained.

"Wow. That does sound like her. Does Becca have grandkids too?" Asked Steve.

"Yep! She's got four grandkids. Ricky's only got one, the oldest, Catherine, we call her Cat. Almalita is the second oldest, she's Steph's. Next oldest is Luis, and then Carmen, we call her Carmi. They're both Steph's, obviously."

"Steph's kids names sound Hispanic." Commented Steve. 

"You got a problem with it, old man?" Said Tony, angrily.

"No! No!" Protested Steve, "I mean Becca's father might of had a problem with it, but I don't and neither would Bucky, had he still been alive. You have to know I would never have a problem with it, the Howling Commandos were the first integrated Unit in US History. And I'm the one who assembled it, and I forced the Army to integrate it because I told them I wouldn't fight without them by my side." 

Tony looked relieved. "Yeah, I guess you were ahead of the times. The Military didn't fully integrate until 1948. I was just worried you'd hold over some old prejudices from the old days."

"Never. You have to understand; Brooklyn, even New York City itself back then was full of immigrants. I grew up with at least five different cultures influencing me. And yeah, when I was little, I might of been prejudiced. But then I met some of the immigrants in the city, and learned that just because we all look different and sound different, we are not different. My parents were immigrants! I'm first generation American." Explained Steve.

"Alright, alright. I get it. You really are the All-American Hero, aren't you? Man, dad wasn't kidding." Said Tony.

"Your father talked about me a lot, didn't he?"

"Yeah. He said it's because of this. The fact that you never cared that he had money. Or the fact that his parents were German-Jewish immigrants. That you only cared what type of person he was."

"I don't judge, or rather I try not to judge, on race, sex, religion, politics, or ancestry. It doesn't matter to me as long as they're a good person. Your Father was a good person, Tony. A little rough around the edges, but a good person and a good friend, rather like his son. Is Steph's husband a good person?"

"His name is Emilio Hernandez. His parents came to California from Mexico in the 1950s to farm. They settled in SoCal, and grew oranges. Emilio is a Lawyer, and a damn good one too. He's my personal lawyer. He good man, and a good father. Though, Luis has had some problems, being the middle child. He's currently in San Quentin for stealing a couple of smoothie machines. Becca says Luis takes after you and Bucky because you were both always in trouble." 

"We never stole anything!" Protested Steve.

Tony arched an eyebrow.

"Okay, we never stole anything that wasn't necessary. Why would he steal two smoothie machines?"

"Steph says it's a middle child thing, he wants attention. I don't know, he claims he's learned his lesson but we'll see."

"Thank you, Tony. For telling me about the family. I'll have to go see Becca soon."

"You know, we haven't had a family reunion in about 5 years. Phil's here with the family. Why don't I call everyone up, get some jets out, and we'll have a family reunion!" Exclaimed Tony.

"Tony. People have jobs. You can't just have a spontaneous family reunion!" Protested Steve.

"Sure I can! I'll pay off their jobs for a extra week vacation starting, lets say, 2 or 3 days from now. I've got the jets to get everyone here and the space for them to stay. Plus, we have a long lost family member to meet! Daisy is the great-great granddaughter of Colonel Phillips. Everyone's going to want to see her. Not to mention you. This is perfect! I'll have to call everyone... Jarvis!" 

With that Tony walked off, making plans. A protesting Steve called after him.

"Tony, you probably shouldn't bother them. Tony, I'm not sure I'm ready to see everyone. Tony... Damn it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so Luis... I saw a thing on tumblr about Luis being related to Bucky and I ran with it cause I just love it. 
> 
> Anyone notice a reference to a musical in here?

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry guys, I changed some of the pairings.... They just weren't working for me. But don't worry! Antoine lives. And Bobbi and Hunter won't have to go away...


End file.
